Beams of Light Meet Bodies, in Kinect-Powered Dance and Audiovisual Work

Working in 3D light projection, Dieter Vandoren has created a project that makes visual shapes and sounds from particles. Bodies interrupt beams of light, fused with audio and image via Kinect-powered tracking.

First presented in Rotterdam at the Open Dans festival in June, the work draws inspiration from David Rokeby’s “Very Nervous System” computer vision, Michel Waisvisz’s “The Hands” piece, and principally on the audiovisual Polytopes and granular synthesis techniques of Iannis Xenakis.

The goal, says its maker: a “spatial hyperinstrument.” (Hey, you know you’ve always wanted one of those, right?)

Technically speaking I’m using 2 Kinects for 360° tracking, MaxMSPJitter and SimpleOpenNI in Processing. I use skeleton tracking to interact with the parameters of the virtual particle system driving both the visuals and sound. For example to steer the forces acting on the particles. I ‘d like to make a video item on the technology involved but that will have to wait till I get back from holidays in early august.

More documentation at his site. If you have specific technical questions, ask them here and we’ll follow up!

Thank you!

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